Hello Racism: Avril Lavigne unleashes Japanese-themed music video

Remember a time when Avril Lavigne was a rebellious pop-punk teen, singing about how “Complicated” life is and pining for a “Sk8er Boi”?

Yeah, me too. I never thought I’d yearn for those days again.

The twice-married Lavigne, 29, has undergone various transformations on her last few albums, currently settling on bubble gum pop meets dubstep for her latest single, “Hello Kitty.”

The single has Lavigne — with cupcake tutu, oversized glasses and a Skrillex haircut — appropriating Japanese culture to the point of racial and cultural insensitivity, but the singer probably has no clue just how offensive it actually is.

There were reports that the video has since been taken down due to copyright infringement (most likely for the use of “Hello Kitty” imagery), but as of this writing it’s still there — or it was put back up.

Oh, and did I mention this simple, saccharine tune was co-written by her hubby Chad Kroeger, the frontman for Nickelback?